Monsieur Marcel

Good luck topping this!

Monsieur Marcel
6333 W. 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA

A small part of me wishes I never found this place.  Why?  On one hand, they have THE BEST soup I've ever tasted.  On the other hand, it's 372 miles from my front door.  Cue the violins.

A myriad of dining options awaits you at the famous Farmers Market at 3rd and Fairfax.  In fact, I circled the market twice before choosing Monsieur Marcel.  Small plates of cheese and cured meats seemed a fitting snack since my evening plans involved copious amounts of Mexican seafood.  Of course, the intention to enjoy a light snack all went to hell when I saw French Onion Soup on the menu.

For me, this particular soup begs to be ordered and judged against every other version I've sampled.  Prior to this visit, my all-time favorite came from La Bonne Soup Cafe in Sacramento; however, when the first spoonful reached my lips, I wanted to weep a tear for La Bonne.  Theirs had been outdone.

A rich, complex broth chock full of sweet onion slices was concealed by a single floating crouton underneath a blanket of oozing cheese, the outside of which had bits charred ever so slightly to enhance its salty, nutty flavor.  Sheer heaven.  I chose not to taint my palate with any sort of flavored beverage or even the bread loaf I had been attacking prior to the arrival of this delicious crock of nirvana.

Hours later, I annihilated a grilled lobster and its accoutrements.  But, I will always remember the most perfect bowl of soup, and will rarely visit L.A. without a visit to Monsieur Marcel.  Believe it.

Hotlix

Insects never looked so appealing!

Hotlix
179 Pomeroy Street
Pismo Beach, CA

It's official: I'll try almost anything if it's covered in chocolate.

Hotlix is where laughter turns into curiosity and eventually a purchase of something you have never considered to be "food".  At ease, entomophobiacs, the creatures here can no longer squirm, leap, crawl or scare the bejesus out of you.  The lifeless corpses (yum!) are immortalized in lollipops, enrobed in chocolate, or dusted with herbs and spices.

The chocolate covered crickets were the easiest choice for me since they were a little less recognizable as former living creatures than the cheddar cheese-dusted "Larvets".  They tasted just like everyone said they would: like Kit-Kats.

Other treats include chocolate ant wafers and scorpion brittle.  Dinner, anyone?

Shaw's Steakhouse & Tavern

Three!  Three!  Three meals in one!

Shaw's Steakhouse & Tavern
714 S. Broadway
Santa Maria, CA

When in Santa Maria, eat Santa Maria BBQ.  Duh...

Shaw's was highly praised all over the web, so I gave it a try.

I dig dimly-lit steakhouses, so this certainly fit the bill.  As I followed the server to the table, I passed a large window allowing diners to watch the inner workings of the kitchen; more specifically, a gargantuan grill used to prepare their delectable BBQ meats.

After a nearly six-hour road trip, I was dying for a bite.  With a weekend of food ahead of me, I wanted something simple - maybe a small salad with some BBQ and healthy veggies on the side.

Fail.  Epic fail.

My server asked if I preferred salad or Beer Bacon Cheese Soup.  Um, were there really two answers to that question?  That was followed up with a listing of the daily specials, from which I chose the Tri-Tip & Linguica Combo.  My salivary glands started working overtime.

A cup of cheesy, porky goodness arrived, topped with more grated cheddar.  Freshly ground pepper added a kick to the rich, earthy broth, and after the bowl was licked clean I had no idea how I'd have room for my entree.

And what an entree it was!

A platter large enough to feed 2-3 people was placed in front of a blushing me.  It looked like a freaking masterpiece - and tasted like it, too.  The spicy linguica and tender tri-tip were grilled to perfection and accompanied by a dipping sauce that baffles me to this day.  It was rich, sweet...and those are the only adjectives I can use because I've no clue what other ingredients were involved.  All of this was served with a fully-loaded baked potato as well as garlic bread.

I barely made a dent in the platter, and thanked my lucky stars my hotel room had a kitchenette.  I ate the leftovers for two days straight.  Three fantastic meals for twenty bucks?  Steal.

Vista Grille at the La Contenta Golf Club

Each meal here is a hole in one!

Vista Grille at the La Contenta Golf Club
1653 Highway 26
Valley Springs, CA

What's better than a near-perfect BLT, chock full of thick-cut bacon and the right amount of mayo nestled between layers of juicy tomato and crisp lettuce?

The view from a window seat at the Vista Grille.

Precisely manicured greens, a lovely outdoor balcony, and tiny birds fluttering around the hanging moss-filled baskets of perennials created a breathtaking backdrop.  I typically prefer at least a little soft background music when I dine, but the silence of the room allowed me to appreciate the surrounding beauty and calm.

Now, if I could only figure out how those golfers managed to avoid work for a day...

Richmaid Restaurant

Be the first to order Liver & Onions
 a la Mode!  I dare you.

Richmaid Restaurant
100 S. Cherokee Lane
Lodi, CA

Richmaid is a long-standing fixture in Lodi.  Though the building's exterior may shows signs of wear, the food being served inside is the reason this place is still around.

I came here for a second (!) breakfast on a Sunday morning to "kill time" before a poker tournament at the card room down the street.  Church-goers made up most of the crowd, peppered with families with small kids and, of course, a couple degenerate gamblers at the counter (of which I was one).

I needed something quick and delicious, and Biscuits and Gravy sounded like a nice little snack.  In the meantime, I watched as order after order was cranked out of the kitchen, bells being rung for pickup by the servers.  Omelets, wet burritos and chicken salads seemed to be all the rage this particular morning.

Moments later, my plate arrived with steam rising from the rich and buttery gravy atop two very large, fluffy biscuits.  The biscuits were hearty, holding up to all the gravy and generous handful of sausage pieces sprinkled on top.  Some additional black pepper brought it close to perfection, and that plate was killed in a matter of minutes.

This may be my new go-to destination these weekly poker tournaments.  I'll probably pass on the Liver and Onions, but a Banana Split sure does sounds good right about now...

Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates

Leaving without some of these would be 
a HUGE mistake.

Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates
1801 L Street
Sacramento, CA

Attention Ginger Elizabeth:

Under no circumstances are you allowed to close up shop or move farther than 50 miles from my house...ever!

This chocolate is TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.  One day, I came this close (thumb and index finger half a centimeter apart) to heading home without making a stop here.  Boy, would that have been a mistake!


Unless you're looking for it, you may miss this sweet little shop.  Look for it.  Burn the address into your memory.  Then, visit again and again and again.

On my first of many, many visits to come, I chose a couple of Parisian Macarons and the Cafe Cremeux.  My boyfriend chose the Gianduja Cake and European Sipping Chocolate.

Believe me when I say this may be the BEST HOT CHOCOLATE EVER!  One sip, and I was hooked.  With a robust, not-too-sweet chocolate flavor, coupled with giant homemade marshmallow cubes, it was instantly declared the best hot chocolate I've tried.

The Cafe Cremeux was a hemisphere of awesomeness: shortbread, cake and chocolate creme housed within a thin chocolate shell, topped with a tiny chocolate candy (of course) and the smallest slice of candied orange peel.  A masterpiece.

We left, completely satisfied and looking forward to a chocolate macaron breakfast the next day.

Katrina's

Best.  Gravy.  Ever.

Katrina's
456 Grass Valley Highway
Auburn, CA

Dude.

I would come back here just for the gravy.  Not the Biscuits and Gravy, although the biscuits are pretty dam perfect; but I could just eat a bowl of gravy. Full of chopped meat (Ham? Bacon?), they could serve it in a bowl and I would slurp it down.

BELIEVE what the locals say.  Our food arrived super fast, and the quality was fantastic.  My homemade Corned Beef Hash was phenomenal and could easily feed a family of four.  My boyfriend's pancakes were so thick and luscious he could only eat one of them!

Get here early, because the tiny dining space fills up quickly.  You don't want to be famished, sitting a few feet away from me on a bench, salivating over my leftovers.